Chapter 5217 Completely Bloodthirsty

Tang Dynasty officials were hardly "honest". Those who could survive in the chaos and were knowledgeable were all from wealthy families, either aristocratic or poor. These people had been living in luxury since childhood. How could they live a simple and honest life after becoming officials?
It is extremely rare for someone like Liu Ji not to use his power to seek high-ranking positions for his relatives, friends, or family members. He deserves the praise of being "fair and honest," so Li Chengqian was willing to give him face.

For the emperor, it was not a big deal if his ministers were greedy, took advantage of others, or used their power to seek personal gain. As long as they did not sell official positions or engage in extortion, they could generally tolerate it.

As long as you don't break the rules.

The Tang Dynasty had been established for a long time, and its social hierarchy had gradually stabilized. There was a set of rules, both overt and covert, that ran continuously from top to bottom. There was no inherent good or bad in these rules, as long as everyone tacitly agreed to and followed them.

Because the emperor is the biggest beneficiary of this set of rules, anyone who breaks the rules is a treacherous official.

If a truly "upright and incorruptible" outlier suddenly appeared, no one would like him. But since no one can condemn "uprightness and integrity" as wrong, he would be elevated to a high position, showered with praise and honors, and presented as a role model, so that the world could see that there are still good officials in the court…

After Liu Ji left, it was noon. Li Chengqian was hungry, so he arranged for the eunuchs to serve him a meal.

Before the meal arrived, Wang De requested an audience.

Wang De was summoned and quickly entered the imperial study. He bowed before the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, this old servant has something to report."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly: "Is there something important?"

Wang De hesitated slightly before saying, "It's not a matter of national importance, but it's still a matter of concern."

"Oh? Tell me."

"Look! At Chenshi (7-9 AM) today, Princess Baling entered the palace to request an audience with the Empress. They spoke in the Lizheng Hall, where she sought a fiefdom and official position for Chai Lingwu..."

He carefully recounted the conversation between Empress Su, Princess Baling, and Princess Jinyang.

Finally, he added, "Originally, this matter was insignificant, but His Majesty instructed me to report any contact between the Grand Commandant and Princess Jinyang. Although the two have not met, they have exchanged letters. I am not sure if this is appropriate, so I ask His Majesty to make the decision."

For some reason, the request Princess Jinyang made to Princess Baling was not mentioned...

As the chief eunuch, Wang De was responsible for inspecting the inner palace, and all the slightest movement within the imperial palace was under his supervision.

Li Chengqian sighed and waved his hand: "Their brother-in-law and sister-in-law have always been close. I need to guard against them doing anything shameful when they meet in private, but how can I completely sever their connection? From now on, you don't need to worry about such correspondence. Just prevent them from meeting in private."

"Here."

Li Chengqian's anger resurfaced: "The Chai brothers are truly ignorant of their place! Out of consideration for our aunt, I pardoned them for their heinous crime of treason, and even deliberately turned a blind eye and deaf ear to Chai Zhewei's secret return to Chang'an, thinking that if they behaved themselves, I might as well give them some face. But I never expected that these two would not repent and actually seek official positions in fiefdoms, they are utterly despicable!"

After hurling a tirade, she complained, "The Empress is a busybody. She could have just refused Baling's request directly. Why give him advice?"

It must be said that the idea the Empress gave to Princess Baling was indeed brilliant.

Jin Yang had been clinging to Fang Jun since she was very young. She had eighteen or nineteen sisters and fourteen or fifteen husbands, but she only called Fang Jun "brother-in-law". She either ignored the others and treated them coldly, or addressed them by their official titles and showed them disdain.

Fang Jun also doted on Jinyang. This can be seen from the fact that over the years he spared no expense to transport fish, shrimp and seafood from Huating Town to Chang'an and the Grand Canal for Jinyang to enjoy.

Even the emperor wouldn't dare indulge in such extravagance, otherwise he would surely be impeached by the censors and be condemned as extravagant and incompetent...

Therefore, as long as Jin Yang acts coquettishly in front of Fang Jun, Fang Jun will basically not refuse any request, no matter what it is.

When Fang Jun mentioned seeking a fiefdom for Chai Lingwu, he couldn't refuse, even if he wanted to.

The relationship between Fang Jun and her partner is quite delicate. The once close relationship has developed subtle cracks, and both of them are trying their best to repair it. When speaking and doing things, they should first consider the other's feelings to avoid misunderstandings.

Therefore, the Empress's idea of having Jinyang step forward was very clever, directly hitting his weak point...

However, another question arose: "Why didn't Baling directly ask Fang Jun for help?"

Given their truly "intimate" relationship, how could Fang Jun possibly refuse if Baling simply asked?
Why bother going through all that trouble to beg the Empress?
Wang De shook his head: "This old servant does not know."

He was in charge of monitoring the imperial palace, but outside the palace, he was completely in the dark. That was the area under the surveillance of the "Hundred Cavalry Division," and if he overstepped his bounds, it would be a capital offense...

"Have someone summon Li Junxian!"

But Li Chengqian immediately changed his mind: "Just bring me the summary of the 'Hundred Cavalry Division's' surveillance of the Duke of Qiao's mansion over the past two days. I want to review it."

"Here."

Wang De turned and left in a hurry.

Before long, he returned quickly, carrying a file, and spread it out on the imperial desk...

Li Chengqian rose and stood before the imperial desk, casually flipping through the scrolls. The text on the scrolls was sparse but concise and detailed.

Upon seeing the passage describing how Chai Lingwu begged Princess Baling to seek an official position from Fang Jun, he flew into a rage, slammed his fist on the imperial desk, and cursed, "That scoundrel! My aunt is a heroine among women, not inferior to any man, and my uncle is also a scion of a noble family, gentle and refined. How could they have such a spineless coward?"

I was furious at their lack of ambition.

Li Chengqian naturally didn't care about a mere official position in a fiefdom. He also wasn't incapable of forgiving the mistakes the Chai brothers had made in the past. They were just two good-for-nothing playboys; why should he care whether they lived or died?

All that needs to be considered is the protective affection his aunt, Princess Pingyang Zhao, showed him when he was young, nothing more.

That explains why Princess Baling acted so recklessly.

It's understandable that a woman would do something outrageous after encountering such a useless man with no testicles...

"Alright, ignore this scoundrel. When the Grand Commandant mentions this to me, I'll give him face and let Chai Lingwu go to his fiefdom. Out of sight, out of mind!"

He paused, then, thinking of Chai Zhewei, became even more furious: "The chief steward shall take the imperial physician to Duting Post Station to examine Chai Zhewei. If he is ill, all is well; if not, warn him to leave the capital for Hanhai immediately. Otherwise, if he is impeached by the censor, no one can save him!"

While others "sell their wives for personal gain," Chai Zhewei "sells his younger siblings for personal gain." His despicable and shameful actions are so egregious that they deserve to be skinned alive and torn apart!
"Here!"

Wang De accepted the order, and seeing that His Majesty had no further instructions, he turned and left.

Li Chengqian walked behind the imperial desk and sat down. He picked up a teacup, took a sip of cold tea, and his mind was in turmoil.

Logically speaking, since the Empress knew Jin Yang's feelings for Fang Jun, she shouldn't have let Jin Yang handle this matter.

As the Empress and head of the inner palace, it was only natural for her to directly express her wishes to Fang Jun to help Princess Baling. However, contacting Fang Jun through Jinyang seemed more like an attempt to "avoid suspicion."

Why "avoid suspicion"?
Naturally, these were the rumors and gossip circulating among the common people about the Empress and Fang Jun.

However, the Empress's actions seemed to suggest a guilty conscience, and while they appeared to be "avoiding suspicion," they actually raised even greater suspicion...

*****
A troop of imperial guards, clad in bright armor and in perfect military bearing, charged straight into the Duting Post Station, causing the officials, postmen, and merchants inside to turn pale and scatter in a chaotic frenzy. Everyone was filled with doubt and suspicion, wondering if someone inside the post station had committed a serious crime.

Wang De jumped off his horse, straightened his clothes, and gestured to the obsequious and smiling postman who approached him: "Where does Chai Zhewei reside?"

The courier knew that this was the chief eunuch, a favorite of the emperor, and was about to speak when Wang De waved his hand and said, "Lead the way."

"Here."

The postmaster dared not say more and quickly stepped aside to lead the way, passing several houses to a secluded courtyard: "Please look, Steward, Chai Zhewei lives here. He has not changed his residence since returning from the Hanhai."

Wang De glanced around and waved his hand, saying, "Get out of here. This is a matter of the royal family. Seeing or hearing it will not only be of no benefit to you, but may even bring trouble upon yourselves."

The courier was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized what he meant and said, "This humble servant takes his leave!"

Not only him, but the crowd that had gathered to watch the commotion scattered like birds and beasts upon hearing this warning, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

In the Tang Dynasty, there were no secrets even within the imperial palace, let alone among the imperial relatives and nobles.
Everyone knew of Chai Zhewei's treasonous plot, but His Majesty, being magnanimous, did not pursue the matter, merely exiling him to the Han Hai region as a soldier. He even bestowed upon Chai Lingwu a title and family estate—such extraordinary favor was unprecedented. Later, Chai Zhewei returned to the capital under the pretext of seeking medical treatment and resided at the Duting Post Station, refusing to leave for a long time. The palace could only issue an imperial edict to expel him, and many spread rumors that Princess Baling had entered the palace weeping and pleading, and His Majesty had shown leniency…

However, treason is the most heinous of the ten evils, and Chai Zhewei had returned to the capital without authorization and refused to leave his post. He might be struck down at any time.

By then, whoever dares to get involved will be dragged down and struck to dust by lightning, with nowhere to even cry...

Wang De stood at the door for a while, and when he saw that Chai Zhewei did not come out to greet him, he frowned and gestured to his left and right with his eyes.

The imperial guards rushed forward and kicked the door open.

However, the force was too great, and the door flew backwards into the room with a muffled "bang"...

The imperial guard was very embarrassed and retreated to the side with his head down.

Wang Demai stepped into the house.

The room was dimly lit. Wang De squinted slightly and looked around but did not find any trace of Chai Zhewei. He was a little puzzled. Could it be that this person had gotten wind of the situation and hid in advance?
The imperial guard strode forward, kicked over a table in the corner, bent down, picked up a person hiding on the table, and carried him over to Wang De, placing him in front of him.

It was Chai Zhewei, disheveled and shivering...